Cool and edgy Euphonic music festival is a safe bet

GLASTONBURY'S sheer size (this year with more than 170,000 festival-goers it was the size of Norwich), elements of drunkenness, drug taking and vicious moshing, mean my adolescents have to hit at least 16 before I could let them go unaccompanied.

GLASTONBURY'S sheer size (this year with more than 170,000 festival-goers it was the size of Norwich), elements of drunkenness, drug taking and vicious moshing, mean my adolescents have to hit at least 16 before I could let them go unaccompanied.

The Euphonic – a one-day youth music festival held annually in Epsom has the silver lining of the big festivals but not the dark clouds. Independent of their parents, adolescents could be expressive in a cool, funky way while remaining safe.

Two live music stages showcased Surrey’s best young bands. Acoustic, punk, rock, indie, grunge and metal bands sang lyrics about alienation and attitude to the teenage audience.

Youngsters got interactive with urban sports including martial arts, skate ramps, climbing walls, and five-a-side football as well as a dance tent, drumming and DJ workshops, and acrobatics.

Recognising that the horizons of teenagers are broadening, World Vision, a charity working for social justice and education in Africa, was given centre stage.

Surrey youth worker Sean said: “With so many trained youth workers, community support officers, police and identifiable security, even on the coaches travelling to the venue, it couldn’t be any safer.

“Some parents were worried about letting their children travel so far, but the Youth Service wouldn’t let it happen if there hadn’t been risk assessments.”

Jon Taylor, who was stewarding at the event and whose son was drumming for Common Law said: “The Euphonic was a great success, well organised with many trained youth workers acting as stewards.

“A lot of information was being promoted in the healthy lifestyle tent. No bad behaviour was reported and there was very little litter”.

There were no beer goggles to try on and no drugs or smoking at the Euphonic with its total ban on such substances.

Having seen it for myself, the festival hierarchy ticked all the boxes of safety legislation so next year, I will happily wave my teenagers off on the many free buses arranged from all over Surrey.

The Euphonic – where I can give my adolescents that much coveted independence, where they can rebel safely in mosh pits that won’t suffocate them, where they can catch fun and music on the festival breeze, not beer and cider.

The Euphonic – professional and safe but still cool and edgy. A good introduction to large gatherings for festival virgins.